The present invention relates to mounting or attaching a loading ramp to a pickup truck or similar vehicle. One common method of providing a loading ramp to a pickup truck comprises placing one end of a wooden ramp, such as a two by ten, on the ground and the other end on the top of an opened tailgate of the pickup truck. In some cases the wooden ramps are attached to the tailgate or the ground to keep the wooden ramp from slipping. There have been improvements over the wooden ramp method such as metal ramps with attachment means such as straps and brackets.
There have been numerous improvements to the above mentioned home use ramps. One such improved ramp is marketed by EZN Ramps of Santa Barbara, Calif. This ramp is secured to the tailgate with screws or bolts and fits inside the bed of the truck when the tailgate is closed. Other ramps observed at truck shows and equipment dealers have a variety of means for attaching loading ramps to pickup trucks.
Several U.S. patents describe loading ramps for pickup trucks, but do not have the structure of the present invention. In addition there are a number of loading ramps available in the marketplace not described in patents, but are relevant prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,454 issued to John N. Bernard on Apr. 5, 1988 shows a bifold loading ramp that is interchangeable with the tailgate of a pickup truck. The structure of the truck is not damaged because the existing hardware of the pickup truck is used to mount the loading ramp. Neither the existing tailgate or a receiver are elements of the Bernard invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,304, issued to James D. Dudley on Jan. 3, 1989 describes a folding ramp attached to the rear bumper of a pickup truck. When the folding ramp is extended, two support posts are provide to help support the ramp and the tailgate serves as part of the ramp system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,335, issued to Philip Belnap on Dec. 28, 1993 describes a loading ramp having both telescopically engaged ramp sections and hinged sections. The loading ramp of Belnap when collapsed would replace the typical tailgate of a pickup truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,149, issued to Frank J. Boone on May 17, 1994 describes a loading ramp for a pickup truck consisting of at least three telescopically engaged ramp sections. Boone incorporates the ramp within a tailgate thereby providing a fully retractable ramp structure. Such a ramp could be incorporated in the manufacture of new pickup tailgates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,732, issued to Gary Wayne Jordan on Jul. 22, 1997 shows a ramp system for a pickup truck where a ladder-like ramp is connected to a round tube using slidable rings attached to one end of the ramp. The support for the tube is an L-shaped support connected directly to the receiver. Jordan avoids using the tailgate as a means for support or a means of attachment.